Press Releases

Jan212014

Senator Roberts with Commanding Lead Heading into State GOP Convention

Kansas Republicans, especially conservatives and those identifying with the tea party, admire Senator Pat Roberts and are eager to nominate him for re-election.

Those are conclusions of a statewide poll of likely Republican voters conducted last week for the campaign by The Tarrance Group, a top national survey research firm. The firm’s key findings are included below.

Roberts is easily the most popular elected official in Kansas among Republican voters, with a 78 percent favorable rating. That rises to 86 percent among strong tea party supporters and “very conservative” voters.

“The senator’s strong position with Kansas voters is no surprise. He is a conservative who always puts Kansas first and fights for our interests," said Dave Murfin, Wichita businessman and co-chair of the Roberts re-elect campaign.

“Kansas Republicans know Senator Roberts is a tough and tested conservative. Kansans trust him to fight against higher taxes and spending. They recognize he is fighting to stop intrusive federal regulations and they know he is working hard to protect our Constitutional liberties.”

Importantly, Roberts’ strong standing comes after his opponent has campaigned hard for three months in a failed effort to gain support.

Roberts is endorsed for re-election by 31 state senators, 79 state representatives, the congressional delegation and all statewide GOP officials on the ballot this year. Additionally, he has support from the Kansas State Rifle Association, the Kansas Farm Bureau, the Kansas Black Republican Council and other groups.

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MEMORANDUM

TO:

Pat Roberts for U.S. Senate

FROM:

Dave SackettLogan Dobson

RE:

Key Findings From a Statewide Survey of Republican Primary Voters in Kansas

DATE:

January 16, 2014

The Tarrance Group is pleased to present key findings from a survey of Republican primary voter attitudes in Kansas. These key findings are based on telephone interviews with N=501 “likely” Republican primary voters throughout Kansas. Responses to this survey were gathered January 13-15, 2014 and the margin of error associated with a sample of this type is + 4.5% in 95 out of 100 cases.

KEY FINDINGS

Senator Roberts has a +54 point lead over his opponent on the Republican primary ballot test for the U.S. Senate. Sixty-nine percent (69%) indicate they would vote for Senator Roberts, only fifteen percent (15%) would vote for Milton Wolf, and 16% of GOP primary voters are undecided.

Roberts strongly dominates on this primary ballot test among every voter group and is particularly strong among the most conservative parts of the primary electorate. Roberts is getting seventy-four percent (74%) of the vote among “strong Tea Party supporters”, 71% of the vote among “pro-life” voters, and 71% of the vote among those who self-identify themselves as “very conservative.”

More importantly, Roberts huge advantage on this primary ballot test isnot simply driven by name ID. Among those Republican primary voters that “know both” candidates (a third of the primary electorate,) Roberts leads Wolf by +26 points, and captures fifty-eight percent (58%) of the vote.

Pat Roberts continues to maintain his status among Republican primary voters as the most popular political figure in Kansas, with a 6.5 to 1 image ratio and a seventy-eight percent (78%) favorable and 12% unfavorable rating. Roberts’ favorable rating rises to 86% among strong Tea Party supporters and self-identified “very conservative” voters. To the extent that they exist, Senator Roberts’ unfavorable ratings are driven by “self-identified liberals.”

In addition to his personal popularity and dominant ballot strength, Roberts also receives very high marks from Republican primary voters for his efforts to represent their views. Approximately seventy-three percent (73%) of Republican primary voters believe that Roberts is doing a good job of “being a true conservative voice for Kansas” and “fighting to protect Kansas from federal government interference.”